Monthly Archives: September 2012

So at the start of this summer, I was determined to give up a lot of my old stuff…

We, (meaning my son, of course! Ha! Without his help, we can do nothing!) had to cart it all out…

Trash (STUFF!) we didn’t need…

And…Have a Garage Sale…UGH!!!

It was hard work…It was hot and humid…We had to force ourselves to part with some of the things…They were no longer serving a useful purpose to us…It was time to get rid of them….But it was exhausting! Whew!

Apparently, in the ten years we’ve lived in FL, we’ve had no will-power over our constant accumulation of STUFF!! Seems we couldn’t resist buying and hoarding things to decorate our new home…

But, truthfully, we brought most of our excess stuff here from our life in NJ, and didn’t realize we didn’t need them in our new life…

So, afterI completed my Minister’s courses in March last year, after my permanent substituting job was over in mid-April, after my son’s graduation from college at the end of April, after we spent quality time with my husband’s cousins while they were visiting, afterour vacation at the beach, after I completed my courses to renew my FL Teaching Certificate, and after I purged and cleaned my house…

I decided we needed to have a garage sale!!

I called it “Trash Day!”

We looked through cabinets, in drawers, in boxes, on shelves, or through things hanging in closets…things too small, too large, too ugly, too whatever! We sorted and hunted for unused stuff in every nook and canny of our house: Kitchen, family room, dining room, bedrooms, bathrooms, den, lanai, garage, attic, and then outside…

For stuff that needed to go elsewhere…

Our trash!

I was adamant that NOTHING we put in the garage sale was going to come back into this house!!! Anything left was going to go to Goodwill!

Yipee!! Everything’s gone!! My house is in order…I don’t miss any of it…I don’t even remember now what I had. There was so much…and as we were pulling it all out of its hiding places, all of it landed on our dining room table for a few days ’til the garage sale started…

It was such a huge pile…

That looking at all that junk in one place made me sick!!

After we come to Jesus…

After we’re filled with God’s Holy Spirit…

He takes the trash out…

It’s like the Holy Spirit says, “Oh look, they want to serve Jesus…It’s time to help them clean house!”

We can’t try to clean it out ourselves…

We need His help…Without God we can do nothing!!

He takes away the desire to bring all that trash back into our “house'”again…

The stuff from our old life, that we don’t need in our new life anymore!!

When we’re filled daily to over-flowing, we have more power to resist the enemy’s temptations to accumulate junk in our lives…

We’ll know we’re due for a refilling of the Holy Spirit, when we can’t seem to get rid of the trash…

When we hoard it…

When it builds up and chokes us…

It’s piled so high, it makes us sick…

It separates us from God…

The reason for each of us individually to have a very real and personal relationship with Jesus Christ is that we need to hear directly from Him concerning those things that are trash in our lives…

Those things that are obstacles to the abundant life He has planned for us…

Obstacles, separating us from our Father…

For instance…I like sugar, but it makes my blood sugar level go up so high that I get very disoriented. My body is personally telling ME, not to eat sugary foods. You can tell me to stop all you want, but until I personally feel it confirmed in my body, I won’t listen to you.

Because it’s something I love…

I don’t want to give it up!

I can choose not to listen to my body, but my health will suffer…

Trash in our lives is like that…Only God’s Holy Spirit can make us desire to give it up…

So, when we ask Jesus to take control of our life…

That gives the Holy Spirit permission to help us…

Give it up!

Cart it out!

Sin is trash we don’t need!

Trusted spiritual leaders can confirm truths to us…But, only the Holy Spirit can convict us and convince us…

We need to hear from God personally about when it’s “Trash Day” at our house, and in our hearts!

Obey…

Take it out…

Of our lives forever…

Let it all go!

We can choose not to listen, but our spiritual condition will suffer…

Our relationship with God will suffer…

“But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all Truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:13 NIV

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12 NIV

Give it up!

It’s “Trash Day!”

What do we have to “trash?”

Things from our “old life” that take up too much of our time?

Replace them with time to go to the gym…

Or, to go to a Bible study…

God stretches us out of our comfort zones…

It feels uncomfortable…

Sometimes it’s exhausting!

It’s just like when I go to my chiropractor and get aligned…

My back hurts the next day…

It’s not used to being aligned correctly…

We must sort the things in our lives carefully…

We can’t give up real treasures…The things of real value…The things for eternity…

This is a devotional about the Holy Spirit for our Drama Team that the Lord gave me, waking me up at 3 am to write it all down, as is His usual way of doing things!! Ha!

Picture this He said: “People are on a huge commercial airliner flying to Heaven…

I’m the Pilot…

I’m the Only Way to get there…

I’m going to get everyone there safely, but there’s work to be done on the way to Heaven…

In the Coach section are all those who are saved, those who have given their hearts to Me…

The First Class section, positioned right behind Me, are all those filled with My Holy Spirit…”

“Is there a difference, Lord in the two sections?” I asked…

“Yes, there’s a big difference,” He replied…

“Lord, I’ve never flown First Class, I can’t afford the price! But, if someone paid the price for me, I wouldn’t refuse it! Why would I???

I wouldn’t chose to stay in the Coach section, where it’s more crowded, it’s loud, has only peanuts to eat, has tiny bathrooms, and no way to rest peacefully,” I mentioned…

“I’d love to get an upgrade to First Class! Where there’s more leg room, better food, more pampering, nice cozy blankets and pillows, peace and quiet, a joyful ride, a place to put your feet up and really relax!!

How can I do that Lord, when I can’t pay for it?” I asked…

“It’s easy, I already paid the price, just trust your Pilot!” He said…

“Who are those on the ground, Lord?” I asked…

“Those are the people who don’t know Me yet!” He said sadly…

‘You mean sinners, Lord?” I asked…

“I like to think of them as those who haven’t heard yet, how much I love them,” He answered…

“They’re carrying so much baggage, Lord,” I commented…

“Yes, I told them I would carry ALL of it for them, but they don’t believe Me yet. That’s some of the work we need to do on our way to Heaven…

Go and tell them: Leave your baggage at home…

No cargo space is needed on this plane that goes to Heaven…

No carry-on luggage space needed either…

Only the essentials are needed on board…that you know Me, My Father, and His Holy Spirit…”

It’s a “No Brainer!”

I Believe In The Holy Spirit!

If someone wanted to bless me with a gift of a First Class airline ticket…what would I do…DUH!

Take it and fly!!!!

In Coach…I’d be comfortable, but would I be soaring??? I’d only be thinking about my own comfort, or lack of it!

In First Class you can roam around the cabin, socialize, fellowship, witness, sleep restfully…

You can even go back and talk to those in Coach…

You can encourage them…

That they, too, can get a ticket to First Class by being filled with the Holy Spirit…

Or, before you even get on the plane, you can inspire, and encourage, those still on the ground to lay down their baggage…

And board the plane to Heaven…

They may want what you have, but they thought they couldn’t pay the price either…

But, if they know Jesus, they can…

And, why just fly Coach, when Jesus paid the price for you to fly First Class…

Where you’ve been given the authority and power of your Pilot…

The privilege to sit up front closer to Him…

The safest place to be is right behind our Lord!

Where He can fight your battles for you…

Where you have boldness to witness to others…

In the right seat (position) to pamper (love on) others!

Get off the plane at the next stop…find out how to serve God…

He’s filled you to overflowing with His Joy…

Go spread some around wherever you go, to those on the ground…

And bring them back on board with you…

The First Class section should be the biggest section on board the plane to Heaven…

Coach should just be a holding station, ’til they too, are filled with God’s Holy Spirit…

No one should be left on the ground…

Everyone should come to know Jesus…

And get on board!

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift…

Don’t Return the Gift!

It’s a gift you “re-gift” by telling everyone else about it!

The Holy Spirit…moving in our churches for corporate worship, or in our individual lives for power…

The Book of Acts…tongues as of fire…a rushing mighty wind…

I believe in it all…because that’s what it feels like…that’s what it looks like!

I know from experience it’s for me today, and for you too!

Pray to God the Father for the infilling of His Holy Spirit…worship the Giver, and He will give you the Gift.

And because it’s a gift…just take it! Jesus rose and went to Heaven, so He could send His Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth…He’s our Comforter…

Eccles. 4:1 “…I saw the tears of the oppressed–and they have no comforter…”

Why not want ALL that our gracious Heavenly Father has prepared for us?

His Son is our glorious Savior, we can be filled with His righteousness…

And His Holy Spirit is our Comforter and our Counselor…

Power to witness, to lead a pure life, and to be filled with His Joy…

Ask for it! Receive it! Live it!

It’s like being born all over again!

It’s a redo!

Starting from scratch!

Reborn! To live with Joy now!

A changed life…a changed attitude…

In the blink of an eye…generational curses broken, weakness turned to strength, sickness turned to health, anointed to witness, with wisdom and understanding…

It’s crazy!

Yes, “Crazy Love!” (****Read Frances Chan’s book, “Crazy Love”)

Be a follower of Jesus! “Not A Fan!” (****Read Kyle Idelman’s book, “Not A Fan”)

It’s having the ultimate Friend! (****Listen to, “I Am A Friend Of God” by Israel Houghton)

With God’s Holy Spirit in you…you have it all…everything that Jesus has, you have… (****Read John Bevere’s book, “Relentless”)

I’ve been working on courses for my Licensed Minister’s Certificate for approximately 11 years!!

On Saturday, September 29th, 2012, I’m going to be commissioned!

I’ve been working on it while I was…..

Teaching full-time in NJ…

Raising my son…

Caring for my parents…

Directing Vacation Bible School in the summers…

Coordinating Girls Club on Wednesdays…

Taking courses for my Master’s Degree…

Selling and packing up my Mom’s house, and our house in NJ…

Moving all of us to FL…

Teaching Kids Church in our new church in FL…

And Wednesday night Kids Club…

Speaking at women’s meetings…

Taking care of my Mom and her health problems before she passed away…

Taking courses to renew my FL Teaching Certificate…

Substituting, and going back to work part-time…

Etc., etc., etc…

And I’m finally finished!!! Amen! And Praise God!!

My family is full of minister’s…My uncle was my pastor when I was growing up…many of my cousins are pastor’s of churches or ministers of music. Our e-mail and phone prayer networking is amazing…when we pray, things happen in Heaven!!

I started taking one course at my church in NJ with a group of people, and one class led to another, and then another…courses such as “Life of Christ,” Introduction to Theology,” Marriage and Family,” “Sermon Preparation,” “Soul Winning,” “How to Study the Bible,” “Biblical Theology of Prayer,” and “Missions.”

I loved it!

Then, when we got to FL, no one else was taking courses at my church, so I did a few by myself. But, when Hurricane Charlie hit us…and things in our house turned to destruction, I lost track of my books, which got shoved back in the deep corners of my closet! I had just finished “New Testament Survey,” and had gotten several chapters done in “Old Testament Survey.”

It was a bad place to get distracted, because that’s a difficult course…so many names to remember, and lots of “begats.” Ha!

So, after we recovered completely from the aftermath of renovation after the hurricane, several years had gone by, and I finally retrieved my “Old Testament Survey” textbooks from their hiding place.

Dear Jesus, what am I supposed to do now? Should I finish this, or just forget it!

Clearly, He said, “Finish it! And keep going!!”

I don’t really know what God has planned…

In directing our Drama Team, and preparing devotionals each week…I work with kids, youth, and young adults, and their parents all the time, in Kids Church I teach Bible lessons and object lessons. In evaluating home schoolers with my FL Teaching Certificate, I work with two Christian home schooling groups. So perhaps the Lord will just have me continue with these…

Whatever, He decides…I trust Him to finish within me what He started! Amen!

I’ve already been asked by a friend and her husband to renew their wedding vows…how special is that???

My thought on preaching?

“You preach you burn…You teach you learn.” So I’m blessed to be able to teach, so I can learn…and to remember I’m preaching to myself first, so I won’t burn!! Ha!

Those of you that have started something for the Lord, and feel like giving up…don’t!!

We were having our house built here in FL, but we were still living in NJ at the time.

The day started like any other…

I was at work already teaching at the middle school. I had a class first period, then I had a planning period.

As usual, at the end of class, I planned to grab my cup of coffee and walk upstairs to make a phone call, check my teacher’s mailbox in the office, use the restroom, chat with anyone in the teacher’s lounge, and return to my classroom for third period.

Nothing out of the ordinary…

Until my teaching partner came back from her planning period to tell me that she just heard in the office that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center!

“What!?!?!?”

My mind is racing…how can an airplane not see the Twin Towers????

That’s all she knew!

So I start down the hallway…shouted out “Hi!” to the English teacher in his classroom, who was listening to the radio on his break, and he said,

“Come listen to this!! Another plane has hit the other Tower.”

I’m shocked by now, because I realize that it’s not a freak accident…two planes have deliberately rammed into the Twin Towers!!

We don’t know what we need to do…we’re quite a distance from NYC, so we weren’t worried for our safety, but my sister lived in Chelsea at the time…so I’m beside myself for her…

I’m trying to calm down…think rationally…continue my routine…

So I go to make my phone call, which is to my dentist, as I planned…

But, when I get the secretary on the phone…

She’s screaming…

“Oh, don’t you know what’s happened??? Doctor’s family lives in NYC, he’s left to go there…he’s frantic…I can’t talk right now, I have to leave this line open!”

So by the time I got to our school office…everyone was in an uproar…

I went straight to the teacher’s lounge where I found one of our teacher’s aides on the phone with her husband. He works in NYC, and is calling her every few minutes…letting her know one tragedy after another…

We can’t believe what she’s telling us!

“Plane crashed in Washington DC…plane crashed in PA, one tower down, two towers down, firefighters lost, police officers lost, medical people from all over swamped with injured people, people walking the bridge to come over to NJ…”

We all go to the library where there’s a TV, and all I can see is a representative of the terrorist…explaining why this happened…

What???

My mind isn’t working…I rush back down to my room…try to call my sister…can’t get through…try to e-mail her…don’t get a response…I’m praying so hard for her by now…

And praying for all the other teachers, also…

Since, I start hearing colleagues say, “My brother and his wife work at the World Trade Center, my friend’s brother is over there, my cousin’s friend’s fiance was in the City…

We’re getting bit and pieces of the news…

My son attends school here , so I know he’s safe, but my husband’s been home all morning watching this unfold on TV…

So after he hears about the plane crash in PA, he comes racing over to school to pick up my son!

I see him in the office when I’m on my way to lunch…

And my heart stops because I think he came to tell me something happened to my sister…

He tells me he’s tried calling her all morning, but he can’t get through…

And that he wants my son to come home now!

Many other parents thought the same thing!!

So I go upstairs to the lunch room and quietly explain to my son (a 6th grader at the time), that he’s safe, but Dad was here to take him home…

That something happened in NYC, and for him to pray that his aunt was safe, too!!

I’ve never felt more helpless in my life!

I called my church, and my pastor said that our church was going to be open all day for prayer…

I told him I was very concerned for my sister, and we prayed.

I kept trying her phone and e-mail…

And finally by the end of the day…

She responded to my e-mail…

She was devastated by everything…

But she was fine!

Praise God!

She said she was just about ready to leave for work, when she heard it on the news…so she stayed home…

Thank God!

She later found out that her boss’s brother was missing…

She and her co-workers, as soon as they could, posted fliers, searched hospitals, shelters, etc., but…

He was never found…

My colleague’s brother and sister-in-law, who worked at the World Trade Center…

Were never found…

We later went to their memorial…

Without bodies to mourn…

My colleague’s friend’s brother was never found…

My cousin’s friend’s finance was never found…

My cousin’s daughter was on her way to the City by ferry from NJ, but was sent back after the first plane hit…

She’s fine…Praise God!

I left school in a daze…I headed over to my church…I plopped myself in a pew…